Down and Out in Saudi Arabia

Fatima Hazazi's state-supplied dialysis machine is a lifesaver and a burden

Hen times are tight, the arrival of a utility bill can be enough to push some families over the edge. It is no different in the Hazazi home, a squalid, single-story apartment in one of the poorest areas of Riyadh, the capital of one of the richest countries in the world. "The children need so much, but just surviving is expensive too," says Fatima Hazazi, looking through her latest water and power statements. "My heart hurts when the bills come."

Her husband's minimum-wage job as a coffee server at a government ministry barely covers the...